Tennis Canada – Guests to Aviva Centre will have a chance to pretend they are a tennis champion this weekend as the venue takes part in Doors Open Toronto for the first time on May 27 and 28. The tennis stadium – home to Rogers Cup presented by National Bank – will be open for anyone to visit, giving visitors the chance to hit a ball on Centre Court, take a photo with a trophy, and roam around the lower bowl of the venue.  

“Aviva Centre has seen some of the best athletes in history hoist a trophy on its Centre Court, such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams,” said Karl Hale, tournament director, Rogers Cup Toronto. “This is a fantastic chance for anyone who has wanted to play in a big stadium to come on down and hit a few balls. It really is a fun experience, and we hope to see lots of new and old fans out this weekend.”

Fun and accessible programming will be running on Centre Court, giving everyone a chance to participate. In addition, a special Rogers Cup ticket offer will be available on-site for all Doors Open Toronto visitors. The venue will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Aviva Centre will be joining 150 buildings across the city for Doors Open Toronto, an annual weekend event offering free and rare access to 150 architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across the city. 

Opened in 2004, Aviva Centre is home to Tennis Canada’s offices and Toronto’s national junior training high performance program through the year. Each summer, it plays host to the best tennis players in the world for Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the professional tour. This year, the top stars in women’s tennis will be returning to Toronto from August 5-13 to compete for the title. For more information, please visit rogerscup.com.

About Doors Open Toronto 
Since its inception in 2000, Doors Open Toronto has attracted more than two million visits to over 700 unique locations across the city. It is Canada’s largest Doors Open event and one of the three largest Doors Open events in the world. Doors Open Toronto is dedicated to celebrating built heritage, architecture and design. It is presented by Great Gulf and produced by the City of Toronto in partnership with the broader community. Look for information and updates at http://www.toronto.ca/doorsopen and on social media: Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/doorsopenTO, Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Doors_OpenTO and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/doors_opento. The event hashtag is #DOT17. 

About Aviva Centre
Aviva Centre is a multipurpose world-class sports and entertainment complex. Spread over 15 acres, it is conveniently located in the north end of Toronto just minutes away from many of the city’s vital highways. Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, Aviva Centre opened in 2004. In addition to playing host to the annual Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, one of the top tennis tournaments in the world, Aviva Centre has served as the location for a multitude of other events such as sporting events, concerts, meetings, film and TV production, and more. Please visit avivacentre.com for more details.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 10 professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 12 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada, please visit our website at www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Rogers Cup presented by National Bank
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a Tennis Canada owned and operated world-class tournament celebrating its 125th anniversary of the women’s event from August 5-13, 2017 at Aviva Centre in Toronto and its 137th anniversary of the men’s event from August 4-13, 2017 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. As a WTA Premier 5 tournament, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, and US Open Series event, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will showcase the world’s best players. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is the third-oldest title in tennis, behind only Wimbledon and the US Open. For more information and tickets visit www.rogerscup.com.

Media Contacts: 
Nicole Watts
Manager, Communications and Media Relations, Tennis Canada
nwatts@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777 ext. 4092

Caroline Anderson
Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations, Tennis Canada
canderson@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777 ext. 4545